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Monday, 12 April 2010

How Llangefni's "Three Towns Fund" cash should be spent (updated)

The Holyhead & Anglesey Mail has a very troubling story this week about how Anglesey County Councillors are planning to spend Llangefni's £1.8m slice of the Three Towns Fund. This money, provided by the European Regional Development Fund, the Welsh Assembly's Mon a Menai programme, the Lottery and Anglesey County Council's own coffers, is supposed to spent on projects which:

create jobs

win back shoppers to town centres

and build on tourism projects

However, the Council have decided to use the majority of the money earmarked for Llangefni (£1.4m) to fund Menter Môn's plans to turn the Llangefni Town Hall into offices for themselves and the volunteer service providers, Medrwn Môn. The idea being that the upper floors (which used to house a theatre) are transformed into offices, whilst the ground floor is made into a multipurpose space which could host exhibitions and other events.

Before I go on I should point out that as far as the Druid is concerned Menter Môn does a fantastic job and this post should in no way be seen as being critical of them. However, considering the aims of the fund set out above, is this really the best use the Council could find for the money?

Menter Môn already have offices in Llangefni (behind the Council buildings) - so effectively one organisation already present in Llangefni is going to move to another part of Llangefni. Accordingly there is no net impact on jobs in Llangefni.

As Menter Môn's employees already presumably shop in Llangefni, it is difficult to see how this will deliver any more shoppers to Llangefni's town shops.

Of course its easy to criticise, and as Gerallt Llywelyn, the Menter Môn CEO says in the article, "we have come up with a vision for the town hall when no-one else would come forward". Accordingly, here is the Druid's advice to the Council on how the money should have been spent:

The very first thing that I would urge the Council to do would be to look at rectifying the incredibly shortsighted decision they made years ago to house the Oriel Môn so far outside the centre of Llangefni. Its current position next to the Public Golf Course means that the shops of Llangefni enjoy no benefit from its presence as it is just too far for Oriel visitors to walk into the town centre. People come in cars and leave in cars without spending any time in Llangefni itself. What a ridiculous own goal by the Council considering that the natural location for the Oriel would have been inside the defunct town hall located slap-band in the town centre. I appreciate that after all the money the council have lavished on it, it would take a great deal more than £1.8m to bring the Oriel to the town hall, but it's impossible to write about what should be done in Llangefni without mentioning this characteristically backward decision by the council.

The key to Llangefni's future actually lies in its past. As the road signs when you enter the town say, Llangefni is a "Market Town" - this is what Llangefni's past success was built on and what it should also capitalise on now. If the town hall cannot be repurposed to house the Oriel collection, then the ground floor should be refitted so that it can serve as an enclosed market. The bustling Thursday markets in Llangefni used to bring in visitors from all over the island which benefitted both the market traders and also the local shops - now the current market is a shadow of its former self. Making a dedicated market area and promoting not just the traditional Thursday market, but also holding other specialist markets on different days of the week - think farmer's markets, antiques markets, etc - would be a sustainable investment which would keep on giving to the town.

The problem as always with Anglesey County Council is not so much a lack of money, but a lack of vision. The Druid's modest proposal above would not take a large amount of money, would fullfil all three aims of the Three Towns Fund, and would make a great deal of difference to the town if promoted and marketed in the right way - much more than just blowing the money building a set of offices.UPDATE: An anonymous commenter below feels this is proof of Ieuan Wyn Jones delivering for Anglesey. I couldn't disagree more and offer this reply:

"This would be the Three Towns Fund money supplied by the Welsh Assembly Goverment then."No, as I wrote at the top of my post, the WAG only supplies a portion of the money. The rest comes from the EU, the Lottery, and Anglesey County Council. "Seems like Ieuan Wyn Jones can deliver for the island after all. No mention of it in your post, though Druid." You call this delivering? Firstly, as I just pointed out, only a portion of the money came from WAG; Secondly, despite Anglesey being officially the poorest county in the UK with a GVA per head of just 53% of the UK's average, only £8 million has been allocated for regenerating the Island as part of the Three Towns Fund. Compare this to the £100 million of European funding that the Welsh Assembly recently injected into the much more prosperous area of Swansea - with a much higher GVA per head figure than Anglesey (7% above the all-Wales level but 19% below the UK average). To add insult to injury, the Swansea announcement came on almost the very day that Anglesey Aluminium was closing with a loss of 450 jobs. Is being tossed scraps from the table your definition of IWJ 'delivering for the island'? Because it isn't mine. For more info from an impartial source, see this for example."The lack of objectivity in this blog is getting quite farcical. Why don't you just come out for the Tories and be done with it? At least your pretence at being independant could then be seen for what it is - a complete nonsense." I'm afraid that the lack of objectivity is being shown by yourself if this is the best you can point to show us that 23 years of Ieuan Wyn Jones has been good to the Island.

23 comments:

Anonymous
said...

This would be the Three Towns Fund money supplied by the Welsh Assembly Goverment then. Seems like Ieuan Wyn Jones can deliver for the island after all. No mention of it in your post, though Druid. The lack of objectivity in this blog is getting quite farcical. Why don't you just come out for the Tories and be done with it? At least your pretence at being independant could then be seen for what it is - a complete nonsense.

Having just completed an a analysis of public and private sector employment on Anglesey during the recession, you may be interested to note that during the recession, private sector employment on Ynys Mon went down by 5.7 per cent.

In contrast, public sector employment increased by 2.9 per cent.

Since 2001, there has been a decrease of 2,100 in private sector employment on Anglesey and the proportion of those employed in the private sector has decreased from 74 per cent of those employed on the island to 67 per cent.

DJE - thanks for the figures. Of course we all know that you are a Tory because you come out and say so honestly and don't try and hoodwink people into believing you are objective and independant.

Druid - seems like you're a bit rattled. The fact is this money has come onto the island and it isn't the first time WAG has allocated funds to help the economy.

I'm not the one claiming to be objective - I fully accept that I am a supporter of IWJ. You on the other hand have claimed from the start that you would look at isalnd politics as an independant, and yet you have focussed on Plaid and Labour almost exclusively.

There's nothing wrong in being a Tory, Druid - it's only wrong when you pretend to be independant while being a Tory all along.

If it's time for some honesty in politics - then it's time for some honesty in this blog - and so far we're not getting it.

DJE - Thank you very much indeed for these figures. I will highlight them in a separate post later.

Anon - As I pointed out above, Anglesey is THE poorest county in the UK. Money does drip-drip into the Island from time to time but there is no evidence of the WAG prioritising Anglesey and the other regions of N.Wales which make up the three of the five poorest parts of the UK. Instead we see large investments in Labour's heartlands of S.Wales. As an Anglesey resident from a family which has been on this Island for hundreds of years, I want to see my family still here in another two or three hundred years - currently I don't have that confidence.

As to why this blog focusses on Labour and Plaid, I have explained the reason many times. Its strange that you would think that being Independent should mean bashing the Conservatives. As you may have noticed Anglesey hasn't been represented by a Conservative MP since 1987 -- 23 years ago -- nor has there been a Conservative administration in the UK since 1997 -- 13 years ago. What I'm concerned with is the CURRENT state of Anglesey and those who bear political responsibility for it NOW. And like it or not, the facts are:

• Ynys Môn has now been represented by Plaid Cymru's Ieuan Wyn Jones as either MP or AM for the past 23 years • The UK has had a Labour government in Westminster since 1997 and Ynys Môn has had a Labour MP in the shape of Albert Owen since 2001 • The Welsh Assembly has been governed by Labour since 1999 until the emergence of a Labour/Plaid Cymru coalition in 2007

Perhaps you can explain to me why, as an Anglesey resident, I should turn my fire onto the Conservatives?

DJE wrote- "Having just completed an a analysis of public and private sector employment on Anglesey during the recession, you may be interested to note that during the recession, private sector employment on Ynys Mon went down by 5.7 per cent.

In contrast, public sector employment increased by 2.9 per cent."

Isn't it quite a good thing for the public sector to step in and provide jobs when the market fails?

Or if not a good thing, at least not an inherently bad thing?

Does your view not hark back to the old Thatcherite view that 'unemployment is a price worth paying'?

With regards to the Druid and the Three Towns Fund, though Welsh Government money only makes up a partial amount of the scheme, would the scheme not become unviable without that Welsh Govt cash?

Finally, Druid writes "Perhaps you can explain to me why, as an Anglesey resident, I should turn my fire onto the Conservatives?"

I'm not sure Labour can escape blame, but the tendency to concentrate private sector growth in the south-east of England was pioneered by the Tories, and has never been reversed.

The majority of all job creation in the past decade, outside of the south-east, has been achieved by state funding or para-state funding. Something is seriously wrong if this is taking place in an economy that professes to be a capitalist one.

>Isn't it quite a good thing for the public sector to step in and provide jobs when the market fails?

Its right for the Public Sector to be the right size to provide the services which people need without becoming too large a tax or bureaucracy drag on the private sector. If you saw Betsan's debate from Delyn last night you will have noted the amount of discussion about 'active government' and the increased paperwork it entails.

>Does your view not hark back to the old Thatcherite view that 'unemployment is a price worth paying'?

Unemployment is never a 'price worth paying' - however, resources always need to move from the less productive or non-functioning parts of the economy to those sectors which are growing under their own steam.

>With regards to the Druid and the Three Towns Fund, though Welsh Government money only makes up a partial amount of the scheme, would the scheme not become unviable without that Welsh Govt cash?

Difficult to tell as WAG's press release (linked above) doesn't tell us how much cash came from where. However, the total sum of £8m is fairly small so I can't really see there being much difference.

>I'm not sure Labour can escape blame, but the tendency to concentrate private sector growth in the south-east of England was pioneered by the Tories, and has never been reversed.

Private sector businesses are free to set up wherever they want - we do not have a command economy controlled by the government either now or under Thatcher. Accordingly no such thing was "pioneered" by the Tories. They couldn't have done so even if they wanted to.

>The majority of all job creation in the past decade, outside of the south-east, has been achieved by state funding or para-state funding. Something is seriously wrong if this is taking place in an economy that professes to be a capitalist one.

This is indeed worrying. And also the reason why I believe Wales probably needs to achieve full devolution with control over tax. It will only be by Wales setting more favourable corporate tax rates that its neighbours that it will be able to attract more business to our region.

The reason why you should also look at Tory policy is surely obvious: we're in a middle of a general election with the Tories claiming they are the ones who can get us out of the mess we're in. A truly independant blog seeking the best for the island would look at all parties and judge what is good and is not. You have failed to do this from the outset, Druid.

But that's ok. Just stop pretending you're anything other than a Tory blog. Your views could at least be put in their correct context then: you slam Plaid and Labour purely because you're a Tory.

Anon - you would like me to label myself as a Tory so that you can then explain away (or more likely ignore) my criticisms of Plaid by saying "The Druid would say that because he is a Tory and therefore is making a party political point". Thats why I won't play your game.

As to your point that there is an election on - you're right. But it's for Westminster. As the Welsh Assembly has responsibility for all of the below devolved areas, the most important one for us on Ynys Mon will be next year.

That said there are only two major thing we need to watch during this election:

(a) by how much either Labour or the Conservatives intend to cut the deficit and by what amount it will affect the block grant to Wales. Currently Labour plans to cut it by £57 billion and the Conservatives by £6 billion more. Not much to choose from there yet as the difference represents less than 1% of total Government spending.(b) in the event of a hung parliament, will the building of Wylfa B be blocked by probable coalition partners, the Lib Dems.

And don't try and argue that in the event of a hung parliament Plaid Cymru will be in a position to hold the balance of power and thus gain a 'better deal for Wales' because, as I've repeatedly blogged, it ain't going to happen.

Druid- I can't keep away when there is an alternative viewpoint needed.

"Unemployment is never a 'price worth paying' - however, resources always need to move from the less productive or non-functioning parts of the economy to those sectors which are growing under their own steam."

Are you suggesting that cash resource behind public sector jobs on Ynys Mon, should be diverted to be given to private firms? It's a pretty radical view and i'm not going to dismiss it as long as those firms pay the money back, but it flies in the face of what the centre-right has been telling us since Reaganomics, that the state is a burden.

"Difficult to tell as WAG's press release (linked above) doesn't tell us how much cash came from where. However, the total sum of £8m is fairly small so I can't really see there being much difference."

It's quite obvious that they're topping up their projects with funding from other sources, as they did with Pro-Act and Re-Act, and they tried to do so with money for flooding. I am minded to believe it's a Welsh Government administered fund.

"Private sector businesses are free to set up wherever they want - we do not have a command economy controlled by the government either now or under Thatcher. Accordingly no such thing was "pioneered" by the Tories. They couldn't have done so even if they wanted to."

That's a true enough point, but obviously businesses are incentivised to set up in certain areas. Capital has accumulated in the south-east and that is a process encouraged if not commanded by successive governments from Thatcher onwards. They did so (and continue to do so) not by running a command economy but by making certain decisions with transport, infrastructure and planning. If you pushed me on this I think I might struggle on coming up with some examples, but the evidence is that the private sector in SE England has grown consistently in the past 20 years, and every single other region or nation of the UK has relatively gone backwards. I read last year that the regional income disparity in the UK is greater than any other member state in the EU. Deeply worrying whether you're a conservative, nationalist, socialist or independent.

"...I believe Wales probably needs to achieve full devolution with control over tax. It will only be by Wales setting more favourable corporate tax rates that its neighbours that it will be able to attract more business to our region."

Fair of you to concede that. I am not convinced on corporation tax even when Adam Price made the argument. I fail to see how it would be sustainable with the relatively high levels of public expenditure that Wales requires. But i'm obviously not an economic thinker.

I agree that Wales becoming fiscally responsible is the only long-term way in which we will see any kind of prosperity in Wales. There is no point in a Welsh Government creating wealth when it has no responsibility for collecting the taxes. It's a bit like giving someone fish every day, rather than teaching us to catch our own fish. I am confident that many conservative-minded people will come around to this way of thinking within the next few years.

It's not a game when you pretend to be something you're not, Druid. It is obvious by now that you are a Tory. The lack of honesty is astounding.

This election is as crucial to Ynys Mon as any assembly election. It's nonsense to suggest otherwise. And it's the reason why you are so keen to blog about what you see as Plaid failures. You came on the scene when a general election was near.

And as for your balanced parliament argument - check the history books. The Plaid Mps got serious concessions from the Labour goverment in the 1970s, i.e the last time we had a balanced house.

But again, Druid, it's ok to be a Tory. Don't be ashamed of what you are - just be honest about it. Because if we can't trust you on this issue why should we listen to any more?

Anon has a solid point there Druid, you can't deny that. Plaid's influence has grown since the 1970s so they are now even more likely to be effective in a balanced parliament than the last time there was one.

>Are you suggesting that cash resource behind public sector jobs on Ynys Mon, should be diverted to be given to private firms? It's a pretty radical view and i'm not going to dismiss it as long as those firms pay the money back, but it flies in the face of what the centre-right has been telling us since Reaganomics, that the state is a burden.

No, I'm not saying that the cash resource behind public sector jobs should be diverted back to private firms - I'm saying that it is not taxed out of the economy to begin with. If the public sector is sized according to need and to a point that the private sector can comfortably bear, then the tax burden should be adjusted downwards accordingly.

>That's a true enough point, but obviously businesses are incentivised to set up in certain areas. Capital has accumulated in the south-east and that is a process encouraged if not commanded by successive governments from Thatcher onwards. They did so (and continue to do so) not by running a command economy but by making certain decisions with transport, infrastructure and planning.

On this point you are correct. Countries like Japan and Germany - which have industry fairly evenly distributed throughout their respective regions - are able to do this because of their exceptional transport infrastructures. Unfortunately we are left with a Victorian rail system in this country plus the A55 only finally reached Anglesey a few years ago. Without good infrastructure, places located a distance from London will always be at a disadvantage when competing for businesses.

> Fair of you to concede that. I am not convinced on corporation tax even when Adam Price made the argument. I fail to see how it would be sustainable with the relatively high levels of public expenditure that Wales requires. But i'm obviously not an economic thinker.

Wales' problem is that the larger the Public Sector becomes, the more difficult it will be for the country to achieve devolution and fiscal responsibility. As the economy is currently constituted businesses based purely in Wales will not be able to provide enough tax money to sustain the current Public Sector.

>I agree that Wales becoming fiscally responsible is the only long-term way in which we will see any kind of prosperity in Wales. There is no point in a Welsh Government creating wealth when it has no responsibility for collecting the taxes. It's a bit like giving someone fish every day, rather than teaching us to catch our own fish.

A better analogy would be to say "there's no point going out and catching fish if someone gives us fish anyway" - which is the current situation.

No - I've answered your question and you are not happy with it. Therefore you are simply accusing me of being dishonest. Very different.

>"This election is as crucial to Ynys Mon as any assembly election. It's nonsense to suggest otherwise. And it's the reason why you are so keen to blog about what you see as Plaid failures. You came on the scene when a general election was near."

Again I've answered your question and made clear what I believe are the most important issues *for Anglesey* about this Westminster election. You offer no counter-argument other than to stamp your feet and insist that it is crucial. I understand its crucial for Plaid Cymru to present it as 'crucial' - but only for their electoral chances.

>"And as for your balanced parliament argument - check the history books. The Plaid Mps got serious concessions from the Labour goverment in the 1970s, i.e the last time we had a balanced house."

And the Romans invaded Anglesey in 60AD - does that mean its going to happen again? The situation you refer to in 1979 (when Plaid agreed not to topple Callaghan in return for proper compensation for Welsh quarrymen) happened in a very different parliament than is likely to be returned after this election. The Lib Dems didn't exist back then - however they will invariably hold the balance of power in the case of a hung parliament. Plaid won't have a look in. I've discussed it at more length here: http://druidsrevenge.blogspot.com/2010/03/will-plaid-cymru-have-any-influence-in.html

Your last point is laughable, Druid. 'There were no Lib Dems then'!!!!!! The Liberals existed and so did many other smaller parties. In fact it was the Irish nationalsit, Gerry Fitt (who was his party's sole MP), witholidng his support that brought Labour down. The truth is Plaid can have influence in a balanced parliament - especially now they will have very experienced MPs in there along with newer faces.And I merely repeat my point about your lack of independance because it is so obviously true. You're a Tory. And I will keep on repeating it until you are honest enough to say so.Again (once again!) I say - it's okay to be a Tory. Just be honest about it.

>"Your last point is laughable, Druid. 'There were no Lib Dems then'!!!!!! The Liberals existed and so did many other smaller parties."

Thank you for making my point for me - the Liberals were a SMALL party. They took only 13 seats at the '74 general election. Contrast that with the 60 or more seats which the MEDIUM-sized Lib Dems are likely to take at this general election. Which is why I wrote that in the event of a hung parliament, unlike the 1974 election, the Lib Dems alone will hold the balance of power and Plaid will not get a look in.

>"The truth is Plaid can have influence in a balanced parliament - especially now they will have very experienced MPs in there along with newer faces."

Anything is possible - but unfortunately that does not mean its probable. In fact the probability of Plaid Cymru's votes being needed by either a Conservative or Labour minority government this time are so remote as to be negligible (see the URL I posted in my last reply). Yet you (and IWJ and Dylan Rees etc) continually tell the Welsh electorate that "Plaid WILL have influence and WILL obtain a better deal for Wales in a hung parliament". You present it as a fact when it is nothing of the sort. If you can prove to us that Plaid will DEFINITELY have influence (as you confidently stated above) then do so.

>"And I merely repeat my point about your lack of independance because it is so obviously true. You're a Tory. And I will keep on repeating it until you are honest enough to say so.Again (once again!) I say - it's okay to be a Tory. Just be honest about it."

Is it not possible in your world for people to have sincerely held views without prescribing to any particular party? If you had read my reply to Ramblings above carefully, you would have noted I advocated full devolution for Wales with tax raising powers - hardly Tory orthodoxy that is it?

Druid-"If the public sector is sized according to need and to a point that the private sector can comfortably bear, then the tax burden should be adjusted downwards accordingly."

The world doesn't work like that, look back at the recession. The private sector doesn't just trundle along willy nilly. Sometimes it gets derailed by certain behaviour. The public sector should not be viewed in terms of it being an economic component, it should be viewed in terms of the services it provides. So if the market did badly, under your model services would be slashed. That would not be good for Ynys Mon!

I appreciate your economic points but on a balanced parliament you're being unfair to Anon, there is simply no way you can rule out Plaid having influence in a balanced parliament. Looking at the political positions of the two major parties, the Tories want to gain legitimacy in Wales and want political reform to cut the number of MPs (and they have also made noise about Barnett), and Labour have already made it clear they would look to reform the Barnett formula by placing some kind of floor. Make what you will of that, but it would suggest that them talking to Plaid is certainly not out of the question and indeed looks entirely feasible.

>"The public sector should not be viewed in terms of it being an economic component, it should be viewed in terms of the services it provides. So if the market did badly, under your model services would be slashed. That would not be good for Ynys Mon!"

Unfortunately the public sector has to be viewed as an economic component. The wealth creating private sector can only sustain a private sector below a certain size, after that tipping point the public sector begins to dominate too much of the economy leading to (a) ever increasing tax rises; and (b) a crowding out of the private sector in terms of resources making wealth creation even more difficult.

>"I appreciate your economic points but on a balanced parliament you're being unfair to Anon, there is simply no way you can rule out Plaid having influence in a balanced parliament."

I haven't ruled it out - I have explained that it is very, very improbable. My problem with Anon and Plaid politicians in general is that they are presenting themselves as definitely having influence in the event of a hung parliament. This is simply not true - they have a very slim chance at best of having influence. Presenting it as fact to Welsh voters is misleading & dishonest.

Anon - no, its a lot more dishonest because it is organised and being done on a national scale with the intention of effectively deceiving voters into thinking that Plaid Cymru really can get a good deal for them.

I assume by your silence on my other points that you are not able to provide any evidence that Plaid have any statistically significant chance of wielding influence in a hung parliament? I thought not.

"we have come up with a vision for the town hall when no-one else would come forward"

I disagree that this is a positive statement. Menter Mon staff are paid a great deal of money to fill in grant application forms, they do not do these things in their spare time. That all they can think of is a posher office for themselves, closer to the sandwich shops, does not seem very enterprising or honourable. Surely their job is to find out what people want and follow their wishes, not manipulate the situation to suit themselves? Did they ask any traders in Llangefni what their thoughts were?

The ground floor of the Town Hall was open as a covered market only a couple of years ago, then it was cynically closed down so that the building could be described as 'derelict'. Does this word have a different translation in Welsh? What is the betting that the new use of the ground floor will be to exhibit the work of Menter Mon?

Rain can ruin a market and it rains quite a lot in Llangefni, so I think one use of the money would be to have a covered market and other outdoor covered areas for food, drink, play and entertainment. Perhaps a central play area with stall areas around, so parents can shop and watch their children at the same time. We don't need a fountain or green space, there is plenty of that within 5 minutes in any direction.

People need a compelling reason to visit Llangefni, both locals and visitors, and the current proposal will have a negative impact if anything, due to disturbances for building work.

Other things that need sorting out include car parking and toilets at all the major beaches - Cable Bay has been asking for an accident for some time, and you can't find an open toilet at most of the beaches. For many visitors, a local area is judged on the quality of the facilities.

Totally off subject, but has anyone noticed the wall re-builing on the A5/Llangefni roundabout on the A5 turnoff?. There were at least 7 holes in the wall, caused by motorcycles and cars taking the unmarked corner too fast. There have been several fatalities since it was built. As I said, there are no warnings and the corner is dangerous at speed.

So in reaction to the destruction of the wall, which was drystone with no mortar, they have rebuilt it with mortar, so now anyone hitting it has even less chance of survival as the whole thing is solid.

They still haven't put up any signs or <<<< signs warning of the danger, so expect more fatalities from bikers on their way to Trac Mon.

Anon - Regarding cable bay, again I think you are hitting the nail on the head. But this is part of a common theme by the tourism authorities of Anglesey Council of not really understanding what we have and what kind of facilites they should provide. As you say our beaches rarely have adequate parking or toilet facilites (and Cable Bay's car park in particular is atrocious & riven with potholes). More damning are the fact that our significant neolithic monuments like Barcloddiad Y Gawres at Cable Bay and Bryn Celli Ddu have little more than a carpark - there is no visitor centre or mini museum. Yet, the council (and WAG) seem happy to invest a small fortune in the 'copper kingdom'...

Regarding the wall by the A5/Llangefni roundabout - I know exactly where you mean and drive past it often. I agree with your comments.